Coming Saturday: Exclusive Interview with KillerStar’s Rob Fleming!
This upcoming Saturday will feature an exclusive video interview with Rob Fleming, lead singer and co-founder of the band KillerStar. The band’s first, self-titled album features many Bowie alumni including Mike Garson on piano, Earl Slick and Mark Plati on guitar, Gail Ann Dorsey and Tim Lefebvre on bass, Emm Gryner on backing vocals, and Donny McCaslin on saxophone. It’s a great album with Bowie DNA but comprised of entirely new, original music.
I’m going to feature the music of KillerStar this week, and to start things off I’m reposting an adaptation of what I posted in September of 2023, when I first became aware of the band. I wrote the following only after hearing this one song, so I have more to say in coming days (and in fact I made some edits based on new information and some evolving thoughts I have). If you don’t know the band, pick up the album before Saturday’s interview. Meanwhile, on “Should Have Known Better…”
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KillerStar is a new band made up in part by Bowie alumni about to release a new album [the album has subsequently been released]. The band has already released its first single, which is featured in the above video, “Should Have Known Better.”
The song does not especially sound like a Bowie song. It isn’t a cover, a tribute or an homage. But the DNA is in there.
The band isn’t trying to sound like Bowie, but there are some Easter eggs of sorts, starting with the band’s name. The name is obviously taken from Bowie’s 2003 song, “New Killer Star,” which itself was a play on worlds (“New Killer” is supposed to sound like “Nuclear”). There are a few musical nods to Bowie, like “Absolute Beginners” style “ba-ba-ba-ooo.” The opening lines, “I’m a killer star; I’m a movie star” both co-opt Bowie’s favorite lyric, “star,” and his tendency to be a little confusing about which meaning of the word he intended. More specifically, the lines sound like they could have been plucked out of Bowie’s “Blackstar,” where he sings about being a Blackstar, not a pop star, a film star or a marvel (Marvel?) star.
The video depicts a boy watching old science fiction movies before entering his television and becoming one with the film. This evokes multiple Bowie songs— “Life on Mars” is about a girl who loses her troubles in the watching of movies. The narrator of “Andy Warhol” can’t tell the difference between the reality of the artist and “the silver screen.” The narrator of “TCV15” contemplates jumping ‘down that rainbow way,” entering his television, which has already consumed his girlfriend. That video’s star is a child is somewhat evocative of “When I Live My Dream,” and of course the space theme speaks for itself.
OK, to really go out on a limb, the song’s title makes me think of the Eurythmics’ “Thorn in My Side,” in which Annie Lennox repeatedly sings, “I should have known better,” as well as Aimee Mann’s, “I Should Have Known.” Lennox collaborated with Bowie during the Freddie Mercury tribute concert on “Under Pressure.” Bowie had a song called, “Love You Til Tuesday” which coincidently was similar to Aimee Mann’s band, Til Tuesday. OK, these two are a bit of a stretch but… you never know… [When I interviewed Rob, and after listening to the entire album several times, I decided these connections were in fact too far out on a limb, so I didn’t ask. But I’m leaving these comments in there to reflect a first impression].
From the band’s website:
“KillerStar is a new band led by Rob Fleming (vocals, guitar, synths) and James Sedge (drums). With songs written by Rob and James the self-titled album features an array of special guests – David Bowie’s most trusted collaborators: Mike Garson on piano, Earl Slick and Mark Plati on guitar, Gail Ann Dorsey and Tim Lefebvre on bass, Emm Gryner on backing vocals, and Donny McCaslin on saxophone.”
For more on the band, link to its website here.